Thursday, December 31, 2009

Well we're finally shoveling out of the many and various home-like things that we had piling up during the year. We were supposed to take vacation time in the summer to deal with these things but instead I went to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church to cover it for Stand Firm and then at the beginning of the fall we were supposed to take another break but something came up and we couldn't...so we've taken this whole week and we took a week in November and now that overtowering, ominous cloud of stuff to do is much smaller--and we feel a lot more rested than we have for about two years. It's back to work on Sunday for a new year.

Reading the Bible in a Year--New Years Resolutions: I'm not too good at actually keeping New Year's resolutions but I do have a suggestion for those who may be casting about for something to resolve...especially for those of you who have never read the entire bible. There are some excellent resources for reading through the bible in a year that you might be interested in. It's important to both closely study various books and texts of scripture and to get a general and broad view of the whole scope of it. It's just really hard to do both at the same time. Reading the bible in a year helps with the latter...and, in fact, having the broad outline of the bible in your head is really important when closely studying a given text. Every word that proceeds from the mouth of God is true and good and powerful. The bible the primary means God uses to change your heart, mind, and soul so that your will--your desires--become more and more like his. Daily bible study is the spiritual discipline that will have the most permanent and dramatic effect on your life. So, again, if you've never read the bible through, I encourage you to make that your New Year's resolution. Here are some good plans--my favorite is the one book at a time plan because it gives you a good sense of the continuity of each book.

Reminder: There is no Systematic Theology, Men's Bible Study and Breakfast, or Office Hours this weekend.

Womens' Bible Study NEWS: With the arrival of our fifth baby, Anne and I have recognized that--especially since we homeschool, she will need to take a step back from some of her ministries. We are so pleased that God has blessed Good Shepherd with so many gifted believers through whom he can build up the church. It's nice not to be needed. Carmen Swoffer-Penna, is a gifted teacher and communicator and very well versed in scripture. Most of you know her. She will be taking over the Womens' Bible Study beginning this January. Thank you to Carmen for agreeing to serve in this way.
Annual Meeting and Vestry Elections: The annual meeting will take place on Sunday January 17th. So far we have one new candidate for vestry. Eligible candidates will conform to the standards articulated in Titus 1:5-8, assent by signature to the principles articulated in Good Shepherd's summary of faith and the Jerusalem Declaration, be regular attenders and members (attending every Sunday you are in town), participants in at least one bible study or class per week, committed to one ministry or service in the church, and tithing or working toward a tithe. We'll post profiles of candidates in next week's bulletin.

From the ACW: Happy New Year! I received an email from Cookie and she is planning to be in Florida from January to April. Cookie has always helped ACW with our media/ads. She is willing to prepare some for anything that may be coming up before she leaves. NOW, we need to make some decisions about(1.) Clam Chowder/ Bake Sale around Easter. What outreach(2.)? Keep for ACK or...? I think it would be good to continue to help ACK! Last year (3.), we had a No-Bake Sale and we did raise about $300. That would be the easiest! Finally, (4.) if someone would like to volunteer to learn how to prepare the media/ads from Cookie, then we could make the decisions Jan?Feb!

Our next meeting is Jan. 9.

Pat

Thank you: As a family, we are so very grateful for your cards, gifts, and generous collection for an end of year bonus. Thank you all so very much. This has been a difficult year for Good Shepherd and we've all felt it, but God's grace has been more than sufficient to provide abundantly for all of our needs. Thanks be to God and thank you.

Three notes from Cookie:Pledge Envelopes: There are several books of envelopes left to be picked up. I would like to remind everyone to look for one with their name on it and put it to good use.

Financial giving reports for tax filing: All financial reports or "Statements of Contributions" for Income Tax purposes are at the church ready to be picked up. Please find yours in the front of the church on the table.

Duty Rosters: Also on the table near the Altar is the new Duty Roster for January and February. There is one there with your name on it. Please remember that if you are unable to fulfill your obligation to serve, it is your responsibility to find someone who can fill in for you.

Mission: We do not plan to sit about on our laurels this year. God did not put us here and give us all this stuff so that we could be comfy and cozy. There is a lot to do...lost people and people in great need around us. I will be appointing a Community outreach team to help us plan and direct our mission and ministry in this neighborhood. I have emailed a number of people and will continue to do so until the team is assembled. You'll hear more about this.

With that in mind, don't forget that Good Shepherd also has been working through some Yearly resolutions--goals that we articulated in the Fall. Many of them have already been met, but here they are:

One year goals:

1. Attendance of 200 by next Pentecost: We're getting about 115-120 regularly (which is a huge blessing considering that we were at 80-90 this time last year) but if everyone who comes to GS on a regular basis were to attend all at the same time, we'd have about 130-135. This is great, and we are still growing, but by God's grace we can do better. God uses his Church to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, just inviting a non-believing friend is an act of evangelism. But beyond that we are not just called to trust in Jesus, but to live lives that are shaped by him--to be his disciples. God not only uses the church to give sinners new birth, he also uses it to train them, to make them like himself. So just being in church, hearing the word of God read and preached, receiving the nourishment that comes through Communion and fellowship is an indispensable part of being a follower of Jesus Christ which is why we are commanded in Hebrews 10:32 not to neglect the gathering of believers.

2. 30 New believers by Pentecost: This is, of course, dependent upon God's grace--he alone makes the seeds of faith grow...but we are called to plant the seeds (1 Cor 3). We're not quite where we need to be on this score...there have been conversions and most likely some that we do not know about but not 30. It could be that we have not been as faithful in evangelism as we ought. We will need to redouble our efforts this Spring. Goals 1 and 2 both seek the same end...bringing people to faith in Jesus Christ and making disciples.

3. Shepherd's Bowl at Good Shepherd and Conklin Avenue: This is a met goal. Thanks be to God, we've finally succeeded in reopening the Shepherd's Bowl at Good Shepherd. Think about it. A year ago, the Shepherd's Bowl was completely shut down due to our loss in the lawsuit. This year, the program has doubled to include not only a soup kitchen that runs out of our church, but also one that runs on Monday's out of Conklin Avenue Baptist. And instead of four teams of volunteers rotating each week, we now have five teams. Thanks be to God.

The Shepherd's Bowl is only one way that we can serve this community. With our new facilities and all the abundance that God has given us there are many many more ways...after school programs, clothing give-aways, a food pantry, financial aid programs...there are so many things we could do, so many ways that God can use us to serve this city and this neighborhood.

4. Prayer team established: we did have a prayer meeting every week but it does not seem to be taking off. Prayer is something that we really need to work on as a community...

5. Hospitality Ministry and New Member Program established: A number of people have taken on the ministry of hospitality this year. Every visitor generally (if no one falls through the cracks) receives a warm greeting, an invitation for coffee downstairs after the service, a guest bag containing various goodies, information about Jesus and about Good Shepherd, and a follow up letter during the week. The biggest concern at this point is not hospitality, but integration. We've welcomed close to 50 new people this year and with all of the confusion and chaos that comes with moving locations we've not yet had a new members class or really helped new people to become oriented to the church and the programs Good Shepherd offers...

6. Music Director hired with both skill and vision for Good Shepherd's Music ministry: Thanks be to God who through the the hard work of the worship committee, has called Tim Wetherbee to be our new Music Director. Tim will start on January 17th.

7. Youth and children Christian ed director (non-paid): We have a youth minister and lots of Sunday School teachers, but we do not have one person who's task it is to think through the children-yourh education program in a cohesive and holistic way. We do not yet have a vision for the entire program. Our goal is to find a person with just such a call.

8. Start identifying and discipling church leaders and planters: This year we've begun to give a number of young people with a call to ministry the opportunity to preach and lead in other ways at Good Shepherd. Ife Ojetayo, Katy McFadden, Matt Tuttle and others have and or will continue to test their call here. God has trusted Good Shepherd with these young men and women and we must do our best to help them discern the direction in which God is calling them and give them the opportunity to hone and sharpen their gifts. We do this with at least a partial eye to raising up future church planters who can, in the next five years, plant another Anglican congregation in the Binghamton area.

9. Commit to help an impoverished church: this year we've raised over $1400.00--more than one year's rent--for the Anglican church in the Kwenda slum. Your support for these people has been overwhelming and generous. God protected and provided for us when we had no home. It is, I think, incumbent upon us to pass this graciousness on to other churches in need. Thank you.

10. Pay our tithe: Good Shepherd is a member church of the Anglican Church in North America and of the Missionary Diocese of New England. As a body we are called to tithe to the diocese. We have not yet done this but we are working toward it. The budget for 2010, sets aside 10 percent of our gross income for both a pledge to the diocese and mission outreach. At some point we should establish the 10% to go directly to the diocese and another percentage on top of that, at least 5%, for missionary purposes...in fact, that--tithing to your local church and five percent for mission giving--is the biblical model for our personal finances as well.

Those are the goals for the year ending at Pentecost...as you can see some of them have already been met. Others will require a great deal of work...but by God's grace we can do it.

This week's Sermon: we're going to return to our series on 1st Thessalonians. We're in chapter 5:5-11. Paul calls believers "sons of light" and "sons of the day". What does that mean and how does that look? We'll talk about it on Sunday

5You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:5-11)

Christian Education:The Incarnation:We'll wrap up our series on the Incarnation this Sunday and introduce our next series.

Good Shepherd in the News: The Pageant and Christmas Eve was a great success this year...it was a beautiful service all round and more people came than have attended in the last decade or so. Two local television stations also came. WBNG posted this report:

Christmas Eve worship will begin this year at 5pm with carols. After that the service will start. The first half of the service will be taken up with the Christmas pageant, a retelling of the New Testament accounts of Jesus' birth. The second half of the service will be taken up with prayers and Communion. All are invited and welcome!

Christmas Day worship will be held at 11am on Christmas morning. We hope to see you there

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

At the dawn of human history Adam, the representative head of humanity, chose darkness and turned away from his Creator, subjecting himself and his descendants to Satan’s power, sin, and death.

This “original sin” is referred to as "the Fall." Humanity, at that point, "fell" from the holiness and purity with which we were created. From that point, our hearts, minds, and souls ceased to be oriented toward glorifying God and enjoying him.

The Fall twisted every human faculty: body, heart, soul and mind in on itself, toward the darkness rather than the light. While the image of God remains in us, the image is darkened and skewed to the extent that all are, as Paul says in Ephesians 2, “dead” in sin. We cannot turn toward God unless God himself, by a special act of grace, gives us the power to do so (John 6:44).

“Naturally” speaking, all human beings are from the moment of conception (Psalm 51:5), by nature (Eph 2:1-3) “oriented” or turned away from God and toward the self.

So that by the time we are old enough to make moral choices, we invariably follow our father Adam choosing the darkness over the light. Both by nature and by will, we suppress the core truths that God makes known in creation and that he imprints upon conscience; that God exists and that he alone is God (Romans 1:18-21).

And in the space created by this willed suppression, we set ourselves exhaustively to work fashioning little gods to supplant the God we will not face and for whom we have been made and designed to glorify.

We know Adam’s rebellion well because we are all party to it.

But the plain fact of this rebellion is an oddity. That human rebellion exists and continues within the created realm of an omnipotent and just God is an incredible thing.

When Eve, with Adam’s complicity, bit down on the forbidden fruit, human history ought to have come to an abrupt and manifestly just end.

But it did not.

Why?

Paul answers that question in the very same section of Ephesians 2 in which he describes the depths of the human fall from grace. After revealing that we are all "dead in sin" and by nature "objects of wrath" Paul writes:

"4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved..."

God loves us. And so, for that reason, in and through his Son Jesus Christ God intervened.

This was not an afterthought on God's part. Jesus was not God's "plan B" after "plan A", Adam, failed. In fact, in the very ruins of the Fall we see not only death and slavery, but a promise.

The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15)

There are two very significant points to make about this passage.

First, you would expect that the text, written from within a patriarchal setting, might have read something like this:

“I will put enmity between you and the man and between your offspring and his offspring…”

Instead, the enmity is between the woman and the serpent, his offspring and hers. Strangely, the woman stands center ring and grapples with the serpent, not the man.

Second, the word here translated as “offspring” is the Hebrew word for “seed” and it is singular. Generally speaking, when the Hebrew Scriptures make use of the word “seed” it is in reference to the generative power of the man. A child comes from his father’s seed.

It must have seemed very odd to ancient scribes of the Old Covenant that in this case the child, the seed, is specifically identified with the woman. The “Seed” comes from the woman without reference to the man.

But for believers in the New Covenant it is not at all odd.

Mary the Virgin conceived and gave birth to a Son without the agency of a human father.

The Seed coming from the woman crushed the serpent’s head. And the serpent struck him.

Through the woman’s Seed, Jesus, God established new family with a new Head whose progeny are no longer subject to Satan, sin, or death.

To do this, God necessarily interrupted the transference of sin from generation to generation.

There are three things that must be upheld with regard to this divine interruption within the womb of Mary.

1. There was never a time when Jesus was not fully God the Son. Through the power of God the Holy Spirit Mary conceived and at the same time, in the very same act, God the Son took on or “assumed” human nature in Mary’s womb. For this reason it is rightly said that Mary is “theotokos” or, the “bearer of God.” This title does not mean that Mary in any way served as the originator or generator of the divinity of Christ. It does mean that God the Son lived in Mary in the person of Jesus’ at the moment of his conception.

As Calvin wrote, “Christ is not said to have been made by a woman, but of a woman…” (Inst 2.13.3) Further, the title “theotokos” guards against the re-emergent heresy of adoptionism: the assertion that God “empowered” or indwelled Jesus at his baptism or at the transfiguration. There was never a time when Jesus was not fully God the Son.

2. Jesus’ full humanity was like Adam’s humanity. God created Jesus’ human nature in much the same way that he created Adam. Adam was not conceived in the normal way. He did not have a human father and his mother was in some sense the dust of the earth. In the same way, Jesus, without a human father, was conceived and formed in the womb of Mary. Mary was the “dust” out of which God formed the New Adam. In this way the transference sin nature from generation to generation was interrupted. Of course, this does not mean that women are any less fallen than men. It simply means that God intervened to the effect that Jesus was conceived without the stain of original sin.

3. Jesus’ humanity was taken from Mary. For Roman Catholics this necessarily means that Mary herself was born without a sin nature. The sanctifying blood of Christ is applied backwards in time so that Mary was conceived “immaculate.” Here is the relevant section from the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church.

“Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God,[134] was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” (para 490)

Protestants, including most Anglicans (and we at Good Shepherd), disagree. Mary, as a descendant of Adam, was fallen. Jesus was conceived without the taint of original sin because his humanity was made pure at his conception not Mary's. Here is Calvin once more:

“We do not hold Christ to be free from all taint, merely because he was born of a woman unconnected with a man, but because he was sanctified by the Spirit, so that the generation was pure and spotless, such as it would have been before Adam's fall.” (Inst 2.13.4)

Moreover, Mary, in her song following Gabriel's visitation, says, "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior"(Luke 1:47). Sinless people do not need God's salvation. There would be nothing to be saved from or too. In her song of rejoicing, Mary humbly acknowledges her need for God's salvation.

In any case, both Protestant and Roman Catholic insist that that Jesus’ full humanity was “of” or “from” Mary.

The Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit conceived brought forth Jesus the Christ, the New Adam and God the Son, fully Man and fully God.

What Adam failed to do, this New Adam has done. Whereas Adam rebelled and became subject to death, the New Adam obediently subjected himself to death so that all might live.

I’ll say more about how the manner of Christ’s conception and birth presaged his purpose and mission in the last and final installment of this series which should be completed tomorrow.

Monday, December 21, 2009

The Virgin Birth is one of the biblical claims most often mocked by secular skeptics, radical scholars, and even many who purport to be Christian pastors and teachers. The reasons for their skepticism are many and varied. Were this article to focus on the critics rather than the Virgin, it would need to be far longer, not because their skepticism is in any way warranted but because it is as voluminous as it is vociferous.

The ferocity with which critics, especially those on the theological left, attack the Virgin Birth can, I think, often be explained both by a desire to justify the acceptance extra-marital sexual behavior and/or their political interest in presenting Mary as a victim of male sexual violence.

If, as one critic suggests, Mary was not "overshadowed" by the Holy Spirit but rather raped by a Roman soldie, then she becomes a victim of 1. western military occupation and 2. patriarchy. In other words, Mary becomes a political symbol for both feminism and those who oppose American intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Moreover, if Mary was not a Virgin when she was found to be “with child” then, many critics believe, one more granite block is removed from the foundation of Christian arguments for sexual purity.

In any case, before proceeding to ground the Virgin Birth in the scriptures and tradition, let’s deal with the actual substance of the criticism from a biblical stand-point.

In his book “Rescuing the Bible From Fundamentalism” John Spong (a bishop in the Episcopal Church) writes:

“When I became aware that neither the word “virgin” nor the concept of virginity appears in the Hebrew text of Isaiah that Matthew quoted to undergird his account of Jesus’ virgin birth, I became newly aware of the fragile nature of biblical fundamentalism. The understanding of “virgin” is present only in the Greek word “parthenos,” used to translate the Hebrew word “almah” in a Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Hebrew word for virgin is “betulah.” “Almah” never means “virgin” in Hebrew. I had to face early on in my priestly career the startling possibility that the virgin tradition so deep in Christianity may well rest on something as fragile as the week reed of a mistranslation.” (pg 16)

There are two primary manuscript sources for the Old Testament. The first is the Masoretic Text (MT) which is the Old Testament written in the Hebrew language. The second is the “Septuagint” (LXX) which is the Old Testament in Greek.

When translating the Old Testament into English or another language you might naturally think that the Hebrew translation (the MT) ought to serve as the foundation for translation rather than the Greek vesrsion (the LXX) since Hebrew was the language in which the texts were originally written.

The problem is that generally speaking the Greek manuscripts that we have discovered are more numerous and more ancient than the existing Hebrew manuscripts.

For that reason, again generally speaking, translators will use both the Greek and the Hebrew in their translations, comparing and contrasting the two texts to come up with the most accurate representation of the original possible.

But the text of Isaiah is something of a unique story. The Great Isaiah Scroll found in the caves at Qumran in 1948 dates to the first century. When compared to the second earliest Hebrew manuscript of Isaiah (about 1000 years later), there are amazingly few textual discrepancies.

This lends a great deal of weight and credibility to the current Hebrew manuscripts because it testifies to the extreme care taken by Hebrew scribes in the process of transmission.

At the same time the Greek version of Isaiah still predates the Great Scroll by some 200 years at least.

That means that the use of the word “Almah” found in Hebrew text of Isaiah 7:14 does not necessarily trump the use of the Greek word “parthenos” in the Greek version.

Why?

Because the Greek manuscript was, apparently, based on an even older (now lost) Hebrew manuscript that may well have used the Hebrew word “betula” or “virgin.”

However, even if the Hebrew word “almah” is taken as primary the word is not mutually exclusive of and rather quite congenial to the concept of virginity because in Genesis 24:43 the word is used to refer to a young woman “about to be married,” a maiden.

Young Hebrew women about to be married were, as a matter of law, economics, and cultural necessity, virgins.

And if you actually look at the word, whether “virgin” or “young woman” in the context of Isaiah 14, you will see that it really makes little difference.

Isaiah may not have known that his words in Isaiah 7:14 pointed forward to the Virgin birth of the messiah. In context, Isaiah may have been using his own virgin betrothed, as a sign and a portent for King Ahaz of Judah who was afraid of being attacked by an alliance of surrounding kingdoms. King Ahaz was told to ask God for a sign but he refused, not wanting to put God to the test. But God, Isaiah says, gives the House of David a sign through the "almah" to whom he is pledged in marriage, “Before the young woman to whom I am pledged to be married (necessarily a virgin at the time the sign is given) has a child, the enemies you fear will be laid waste...”

But whether the Hebrew or Greek is preferred, the concept of virginity is almost certainly assumed in Isa 7:14 especially if Isaiah is refering directly to his own betrothed.

Isaiah, again, may or may not have known that his prophetic sign was also a foreshadowing of the virgin conception of Jesus of Nazareth, but the Holy Spirit who inspired Isaiah revealed this truth through the apostle Matthew who applied Isaiah's sign directly to Mary the mother of Jesus.

Why did Matthew do this?

The skeptics' answer puts the cart before the horse. They assume that Matthew superimposed Isaiah 7:14 over the true story of Jesus’ natural (if violent) conception because of the use of parthenos in the Greek Septuigent (the version of the Scriptures with which he was most familiar).

But this makes no sense. It was not expected or necessary (at least by Jews of the first century) for the Jewish messiah to be born of a Virgin. In fact, it would complicate matters somewhat as the coming King was supposed to be a direct descendant of David. There was, therefore, no motive to take Isaiah 7:14 out of context and impose it on the birth narrative.

Other skeptics suggest that Isaiah 7:14 was employed in Matthew’s gospel to point to Jesus’ “divinity.” A virgin birth, they suggest, would put Jesus’ on par with members of the Greek pantheon of gods.

But that Matthew, whose gospel was obviously written from within a Jewish context for the benefit of Jewish readers, would feel the need to import a pagan concept like the pairing of a god and a human female into his text and defend it by taking Isaiah 7:14 out of context, is inexplicable unless facts on the ground forced him to rethink the text.

This is, in fact, NT Wright’s argument in his article God’s Way of Acting. It is far more likely that the fact of the virgin birth drove Matthew, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to reassess Isaiah 7:14 than that the text of Isaiah 7:14 compelled him to falsify his birth narrative.

“No one used Isaiah 7:14 this way before Matthew did. Even assuming that Matthew or Luke regularly invented material to fit Jesus into earlier templates, why would they have invented something like this? The only conceivable parallels are pagan ones, and these fiercely Jewish stories have certainly not been modeled on them. Luke at least must have known that telling this story ran the risk of making Jesus out to be a pagan demigod. Why, for the sake of an exalted metaphor, would they take this risk-unless they at least believed the stories to he literally true?"

It is important at this point to note that the claim found in Matthew and the claim found in Luke are generally thought to represent two distinct traditions rather than one.

In general scholars tend to think that Mark was the first gospel and that both Luke and Matthew used Mark as the foundation of their own narratives. However, they did so separately. Matthew and Luke share the Markan material but little else. The rest of their gospels represent relatively independent narrative strands.

That means that together the virgin birth narrative in Luke and that in Matthew provide “multiple attestation.” They represent two distinct and/or independent witnesses to a single event.

In strictly historical terms, all things being equal, this ought to lend both birth narratives a great deal of weight and credibility. That two distinct contemporary witnesses from two distinct narrative traditions publicly testify with one voice to a single event within 70 to 80 years of its occurrence and that one witness (Matthew) likely published within the very region and among the very people who would have been able to falsify the account, would, under normal circumstances, provide more than enough substantiation.

But, of course, we are not operating under normal circumstances. The attack against the doctrine of the Virgin Birth has much more to do with a general attack on classical theism than it does the historical veracity of the biblical text.

Let’s face it, if God exists and his character is consistent with theistic claims, then the Virgin Birth, Miracles, and Bodily Resurrection, attested as they are in the text of the New Testament, are not only possible, but, given the NT witnesses, are highly likely. And if these are true, then the arguments against the verbal inspiration of the text itself begin to crumble. That would mean that the actual words of scripture represent the actual Word of God. And, in turn, that means that mainline liberal Protestantism in general is all wet.

So, you see the stakes.

Ultimately Bishop Spong et al want to do away with the idea of a Creator God who intervenes in human history. Or, similarly, at least do away with the idea that human beings can adequately perceive a Creator God intervening in human history. With Theism out of the way, we human beings will be free to reimage the divine in a way more conducive to and compatible with social/political fashion.

Spong, at least, comes to text with his mind made up that God is toothless; that if he exists, he cannot act and we cannot see him. Thus, regardless of the testimony of text itself, virgins can’t get pregnant and dead men don’t rise.

In any case as I hope you can see, the revisionist attack against the Virgin Birth is as toothless as Spong’s god.

And now that this pre-apology is complete I see that it is very long, much longer than I intended and so my three part series must, necessarily, with your indulgence, be a 4 part series.

My next article will go on to describe in basic terms the Virgin Birth as it is positively presented in the text of Scripture and explain why such an odd thing would be necessary in the first place.

Friday, December 18, 2009

This Sunday is a very big one. The annual "Greening of the Church", a Potluck lunch, Dress Rehearsal for the pageant. There will be a lot going on and, hopefully, alot of food to eat. So please come and invite your friends.

Music Minister Search is Over: The search for a music director has been successful. Tim Wetherbee is both an accomplished musician (organ and piano) and an experienced director. He has directed church music for over 40 years and has led music at Zion Episcopal Church in Greene and St. Andrew's, Vestal and is currently director of music at St. Ambrose Catholic Church. He leads both contemporary and traditional music and favors a blended approach combining both.

He is, moreover, a believer in Jesus Christ, a committed Christian, who seeks to use his great gifts for the glory of God

He accepted our offer Thursday morning. The worship committee, the vestry, Tim and I believe that God has called him here. He will start at Good Shepherd on January 17th, 2010.

Thanks be to God first of all, and thank you, secondly, to the worship committee members who have worked so well and diligently.

Thank you finally to Chris Vail, Joyce Carlson and Jane Bronson who have worked so hard and well to keep the music program going during the interim.

Greening the Church (Christmas Decorating): On December 20th, THIS SUNDAY we will be decorating the church for Christmas. We need all the help we can get. This is the first time we have celebrated Christmas in our new building so we need people to come up with some fresh ideas for the decorations we already have.

Decorating will be preceded by lunch and pageant dress rehearsal (which you can read about below) and we should be finished decorating by about 2pm

Pot Luck Lunch: There will be a pot luck lunch right after the 10:30 am service on December 20th which is this Sunday. For those who are new to Good Shepherd, this means that we all bring a great dish to share with everyone. If you are not a cook, bring some bread or rolls and butter, or some veggies to nibble on. Anything will be just great...after all, it is "pot luck."

DRESS REHEARSAL for Christmas Pageant: PLEASE STAY for the Dress Rehearsal which will . The practice will start DIRECTLY after the 10:30 service. Everyone involved should stay upstairs and gather in the front two pews. This is a busy time of year and I know everyone gets hungry and tired after church, so the sooner we can begin practice the better. See you all on Sunday!

Choir Practice: In preparation for the Christmas Eve service, the choir is meeting Saturdays at 11am. If you cannot make one, please try to make the other.

Christmas Bake Sale Report: The annual Christmas bake sale this year raised over $700.00 for the ACK congregation in the Kwenda slum in Nairobi. That, paired with the other contributions this year, should be enough to pay for a years rent. Some have asked how we will get the donations to Nairobi. Mail or any other method would be highly ineffective. Instead the money will be placed in a bank account in the United States that the Kwenda church will be able to access directly through a debit card which we will get to Nairobi via a courier who we know to be visiting Anne's parents there in early January. From that point they will be able to access that account and withdraw what they need for rent and other necessities. Thank you to everyone who has contributed in any way to this ongoing program to help this needy church.

Systematic Theology will meet this Saturday at 3:30pm. We'll discuss the Truthfulness of God and, hopefully, at least one or two more of his Moral Attributes ... Here is the recording from the last class. Looking forward to seeing you Saturday at 3:30pm in the parish hall.

Christmas Eve Worship Schedule: The Christmas Eve service will begin this year at 5pm with carols. After that the service will start. The first half, the liturgy of the word, will be taken up with the pageant. The second half will be Communion. It will be a "high service," meaning there will be incense, etc. Carmen's son JJ has agreed to play the organ for us. Plan to be there and invite your friends. The pageant has grown bigger every year and this year will continue that trend. More kids have speaking parts than did last year and we have lots more sheep and shepherds.

Also, Murielle will be baptized on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day: On Christmas Day there will be one service at 11am. It is generally a quiet and small one. There will be no music but there will be communion and a sermon.

The week after Christmas (with the exception of Sunday) I will be taking off So no one will be in the office from Christmas Day until the following Sunday with the exception of Sunday the 27th which will be services as usual.

Free Computer for someone in Need:I have an Windows XP computer and monitor (not flat-screen) to give to a family or cause that can truly use it. I am also willing to give the designated party any assistance needed getting started as I have dipped my hand into a bit of Information Technologies (IT) work before in the past. The computer is already equipped with free anti-virus and anti-spamming programs that are (practically) maintance free. I think some type of word processor (Microsoft Work or Open Office) is also on their along with Adobe's PDF reader. Bascially all the regular things. I would like to have it out of the house by the end of the month if at all possible (from Joe Kovac).

Christmas Outreach: In order to assist some families with challenges during this Christmas season, please bring to church one or more of the following items :

Open Office Hour Changes (reminder): My open office hours have been 9am-1pm Tuesday through Thursday every week for about 2 years now. During those times you have been invited and welcome to walk in without an appointment and talk to me about anything. Of course, you can always make appointments for other times, too.

Open Office Hour change reminder: my open office hours (when you are invited to drop in to talk about anything without making an appointment) from Tuesday - Thursday to Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 9am-1pm.

There are a number of reasons for this change:

1. Most people don't work on Saturdays but do work on Tuesdays. Having Sat. office hours make more sense.

2. Saturday used to be a study day for me, but with Systematic Theology and various events (like this week's bake sale) happening on Saturday, it no longer works out that way and I don't get any studying done. So I might as well take Tuesday as my study day and be at church all Saturday.

3. Tuesdays, which used to be very busy, have now, since Chris V. and Ife O. are teaching the two Bible studies, suddenly become very open...which means I could use Tuesdays, when people are at work, to get a lot of studying done.

Morning Prayer: This also means a change in the Morning Prayer schedule. I need to talk more with the regulars but I will most likely add Saturday to the Morning Prayer schedule...at 9:30am rather than 8:30am (just on Saturdays). Morning Prayer on Tuesdays-Friday will continue at 8:30am.

Vestry Meeting: There will be a special vestry meeting on Wednesday the 23rd of December at 6pm.

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Christmas Flowers: The donations for the Christmas flowers are due on December 20th. Please be sure to put your name down as donor and the names of the people you wish to honor, whether they are living of deceased. The names will be listed in the Christmas bulletin. Remember that if you mail it in the envelope provided, cross out the 74 Conklin Ave. and change it to 356 Conklin Ave.

Friend Looking for Work (from Kellie French): One of my housemates, Natalia, is here from Russia. She's a grad student and the terms of her visa don't allow her to apply for jobs here, so she's looking for odd jobs to do - babysitting, cleaning, tutoring, secretarial work, etc. - because she still has bills to pay. (Her English is excellent - she got a Master's in it!) So far she's received two offers (thank you both so much!), but in her other time she may be able to take on more, so please let her know if you have something you'd like help with. Many thanks from both her and me!

Parishioner in Need: One of our parishioners has had difficulties with her car and does not have the money necessary to make repairs. So far we have received approximately75 dollars. She needs about $300.00. If you would like to help this person please call the church office or email me at lambeth@flash.net

Women's Bible Study: There will be Women's Bible Study at 10am in the parish hall.

Audio and Video of Last Sunday's Sermon: Some believe that prior to the rise of the "Man of Lawlessness" described by Paul in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3, Jesus will return secretly to raise dead believers from the grave and take up living believers into heaven in order to escape what some call The Great Tribulation. Is that really what the bible teaches about the last days? Last Sunday's sermon dealt with that question and many more in a discussion entitled "Will There Really be a Rapture?" You can watch it below:

This Sunday's Sermon: This Sunday we'll move on to chapter 5 of 1st Thessalonians which deals with the way Christians are to live in preparation for the second coming of Christ. Here's the text (1 Thess 5:1-11):

1Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Question and Answer (from a young parishioner): When did Jesus become God?

Answer: Jesus never "became" God, he was both fully God and fully human from the moment of his conception. There was never a time in Jesus' existence that he was not both God and Man in one Person. The words of the angel Gabrielle to Mary were:

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." Luke 1:35

From these words it is clear that Mary's pregancy was the direct result of divine intervention so that the human baby created in her womb was, from the very moment of conception, "the Son of God"

That is important to remember when we consider the love of God for unborn babies. We are, from the moment of our conception, living human beings, created in God's image, and our humanity from conception on has been lived and experienced by the Son of God who lived in Mary's womb for nine months.

This, at the very least, means that believers in Jesus Christ must never support abortion in any way shape form but always oppose it in every way possible as it represents the killing of a human child.

Support for life, nevertheless, needs always to paired with the message of God's compassionate mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ and his infinite love for those women who have had abortions in their past and who seek him now. There is no sin that cannot be washed clean and completely forgiven. Jesus' death on the cross was and remains sufficient for my sins, yours and those of all who come to him.

Christian Education:The Incarnation of God the Son...Be sure to be there this Sunday. We'll continue our look at the biblical evidence for the virgin conception of Jesus and we'll watch a clip of a sermon preached in New Zealand by a minister who rejects the idea and talking about ways to address those who raise his and similar arguments.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Christmas Bake Sale: The annual Christmas bake sale will begin Saturday at 10am and last until 2pm. This year the proceeds will all go directly for the benefit of the ACK church in the Kwenda slum in Nairobi. Thank you to the ACW and everyone who will help serve and contribute in any way to this campaign.

Systematic Theology will meet this Saturday. We're moving into a discussion of the Mental Attributes of God and the Moral Attributes... Here is a (partial) the recording from the last class. Unfortunately, I only had tape for the first half hour. Looking forward to seeing you Saturday at 3:30pm in the parish hall.

Christmas Eve: The Christmas Eve service will begin this year at 5pm with carols. After that the service will start. The first half, the liturgy of the word, will be taken up with the pageant. The second half will be Communion. It will be a "high service," meaning there will be incense, etc. Carmen's son JJ has agreed to play the organ for us. Plan to be there and invite your friends. The pageant has grown bigger every year and this year will continue that trend. More kids have speaking parts than did last year and we have lots more sheep and shepherds.

Also, Murielle will be baptized on Christmas Eve.

Greening the Church (Christmas Decorations): On December 20th, we will be decorating the church. Since this is the first time we have done so in this church home, we need people to come up with some fresh ideas for the decorations we already have. Please come with your time and ideas.

Pot Luck Lunch: We will have a pot luck lunch right after the 10:30 am service on December 20th. For those who are new to Good Shepherd, this means that we all bring a great dish to share with everyone. If you are not a cook, bring some bread or rolls and butter, or some veggies to nibble on. Anything will be just great...after all, it is "pot luck."
Acolyte Practice for Christmas Eve Volunteers: those who volunteered to serve as acolytes during the pageant will be held also after the 10:30am service.

Choir Practice: In preparation for the Christmas Eve service, the choir is meeting both Thursdays at 7:30pm and Saturdays at 11pm. If you cannot make one, please try to make the other.

Christmas Pageant: PLEASE STAY for the practice. The practice will start DIRECTLY after the 10:30 service. Everyone involved should stay upstairs and gather in the front two pews. This is a busy time of year and I know everyone gets hungry and tired after church, so the sooner we can begin practice the better. See you all on Sunday!

Open Office Hour Changes: My open office hours have been 9am-1pm Tuesday through Thursday every week for about 2 years now. During those times you have been invited and welcome to walk in without an appointment and talk to me about anything. Of course, you can always make appointments for other times, too.

Beginning THIS week, however, I will be changing my office hours from Tuesday - Thursday to Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 9am-1pm.

There are a number of reasons for this change:

1. Most people don't work on Saturdays but do work on Tuesdays. Having Sat. office hours make more sense.

2. Saturday used to be a study day for me, but with Systematic Theology and various events (like this week's bake sale) happening on Saturday, it no longer works out that way and I don't get any studying done. So I might as well take Tuesday as my study day and be at church all Saturday.

3. Tuesdays, which used to be very busy, have now, since Chris V. and Ife O. are teaching the two Bible studies, suddenly become very open...which means I could use Tuesdays, when people are at work, to get a lot of studying done.

Morning Prayer: This will also mean a change in the Morning Prayer schedule. I need to talk more with the regulars but I will most likely add Saturday to the Morning Prayer schedule...at 9:30am rather than 8:30am (just on Saturdays). Morning Prayer on Tuesdays-Friday will continue at 8:30am.

Vestry Meeting: There will be a vestry meeting at 6:30pm on Wednesday December 16th

Capital Campaign: We are in the middle of our Stewardship Campaign and I wanted to mention in midstream that the Capital Campaign is still in need of people willing to commit to give on a regular basis. Many of you have made very generous three-year giving commitments (in January we'll be moving into Year 2). These will be crucial. The hope is, and this is actually one of our five-year goals, to pay off our mortgage in five years. Presently, we are renting out the school building, which helps defray mortgage costs, but think of what we could do with that building should we pay off our mortgage. There are so many ways we could use that building to bear witness to Jesus Christ, educate, help those in need, etc...but presently, for the next five years, we cannot. And simply in terms of mission and ministry, with mortgage paid, we'll have that much more money to pour into our efforts to expand the Kingdom of God. If you are able, over and above your pledge to the church, please consider committing to the Capital Campaign so that we can pay off the mortgage by 2014.

Stewardship Campaign: Just a reminder that we are asking for pledge cards to be returned by December 13th, 2009. Please think and pray about your giving this year.

ACW Christmas Outreach: If you or a family that you know is in need of help with Christmas gifts, please speak to Anne or Matt. The women of the Church of the Good Shepherd (ACW) will be organizing a Christmas outreach. A Christmas tree with ages, sizes, and genders of needy children will soon be displayed in the Parish Hall. Parishioners may select one or more children for whom they may purchase an appropriate article of clothing and a toy. These should be brought to the church wrapped and labeled before Christmas Eve. If you have questions, see Pat Chaney or Carmen.

Christmas Flowers: The donations for the Christmas flowers are due on December 20th. Please be sure to put your name down as donor and the names of the people you wish to honor, whether they are living of deceased. The names will be listed in the Christmas bulletin. Remember that if you mail it in the envelope provided, cross out the 74 Conklin Ave. and change it to 356 Conklin Ave.

Friend Looking for Work (from Kellie French): One of my housemates, Natalia, is here from Russia. She's a grad student and the terms of her visa don't allow her to apply for jobs here, so she's looking for odd jobs to do - babysitting, cleaning, tutoring, secretarial work, etc. - because she still has bills to pay. (Her English is excellent - she got a Master's in it!) So far she's received one offer (thank you so much!), but in her other time she may be able to take on more, so please let her know if you have something you'd like help with. Many thanks from both her and me!

Parishioner in Need: One of our parishioners has had difficulties with her car and does not have the money necessary to make repairs. So far we have received approximately 50 dollars. She needs about $300.00. If you would like to help this person please call the church office or email me at lambeth@flash.net

Shepherd's Bowl:Team 1 is scheduled to serve tonight at the Shepherd's Bowl.

Beginner's Bible Study: Beginner's Bible Study is on for tonight. We will be continuing in John 3 this evening.

Women's Bible Study: There will be No Women's Bible Study this Saturday in order to make way for the Christmas Bake Sale.

Audio and Video of Last Sunday's Sermon: Is there such thing as Purgatory? What about soul sleep? Where do our souls go after death?In case you missed it, here it is: What Happens to Believers Who Die?.

This Sunday's Sermon: This Sunday we'll move on from verse 13 and cover the rest of chapter 4 which deals with the second coming of Christ, the resurrection and what has been called the "rapture" of believers. 13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words. Question and Answer (from a parishioner): If we go to heaven or hell directly after death what then is the purpose of the judgment? Are we not already where we would be anyhow? Why doesn't the judgement happen at death?

Answer: Good questions: in some sense judgment takes place now. In John 3:16-21, we learn that those who commit their lives to Jesus Christ now, are already saved and those who do not are "already condemned." Your response to the gospel of Jesus Christ is itself a judgment.

And on the basis of your decision when you die you go either to be with Christ or to the place of torment spiritually. But, as you note, this is not the final judgment.

In the last line of my sermon I mentioned that even those believers who are "asleep" or who's souls live consciously in the presence of Christ, are not in "heaven" in the technical sense. Nor is it technically "hell" for those who are separated from him in the place of torment.

God's original purpose was to create human beings as unified creatures...with undivided bodies and souls. Sin destroyed that unity. But God's purposes and plans are eternal. So it would not be full redemption to merely remain with Jesus spiritually and to have the body/soul unity forever rent assunder. Sin and death would, in that case, still rule and reign over God's created order. Death would still stand victorious.

The fullness of heaven will only be realized when both sin and the effects of sin (bodily death) have been completely destroyed. That will be what takes place at the resurrection when our spirits will be reunited with our bodies--and our bodies will be transformed from bodies that are subject to death, age, disease, illness etc...to imperishable bodies (1st Corinthians 15). And we will live on a remade earth with Jesus forever. That will be Heaven (Rev 21) in the ultimate sense.

Hell also will be experienced not simply spiritually, but bodily as well. (Rev. 20) Otherwise the just consequences for sins done in the body would not be able to be experienced in the body.

So the resurrection will be the final fulfillment of God's redemptive plan for his creation.

Men's Bible Study and Breakfast:Dave Delany is scheduled to cook Breakfast is served at 6:30am and the study starts at the same time. All men are welcome. We've now moved into 2nd Samuel.

Christian Education:The Incarnation of God the Son...this is a short two or three class series on the meaning and nature of the incarnation. We'll discuss how God "became" man both historically and theologically. How can humanity and divinity reside in the one Person? Is Jesus really God? Is he really a full human being? How can you be fully human and never sin? How can you be fully God and die? Was Mary really a virgin? We'll discuss all these questions and more.